The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-24
THE DAILY PAPERS.

The New York Epoch has been publishing
the views of distinguished citizens on a varie-
ty of topics, and among others offers opinions
on the daily newspaper as advanced by num-
Der of persons more or less qualified to discuss
the subject. AS may be supposed, there IS
considerable difference in the sentiments ex-
pressed, most of them, however, being IN the
nature of adverse criticism. As it is well
known that few, if any, men exist who do not
feel themselves entirely able to run news
paper as it should be rum it naturally follows
that there is no lack of views on the matter.
One does not like them because they pub
ish too much news of a character that
would not do to read to class OF
innocent Sunday school scholars; another
objects to the average editorial matter as flip
pant and unworthy of the mission of the press
as a moral Regeneration; another, Mr.. George
Jones. of the New York Times, thinks the
daily paper devotes too much space to foreign
news and confesses that he himself seldom
reads the long foreign dispatches. This &C
acknowledgement will probably afford much
pleasure to many readers who have secretly
cherished the same distaste for complicated
English and German politics, but have not
had the courage to avow that their knowledge
of the subject was derived solely from the
headlines in the papers. Other contributors
TO the Epoch, among them Rev. DR.. Deems,
are opposed to Sunday papers, the gentleman
named declaring it to be an unmtigated
nuisance. A preachers opinions on Sunday
papers, however, are of less value than would
be the case if he were an unprecedented OBJ
server and DIR. Deems, therefore, should not
be taken too seriously. The most sensible
and practical remarks made on the subject are
by Mrs. Martha j. Lamb, lady who is GER
tainly we'll qualified to speak by reason of her
experience of twenty years as editor of the
Magazine of American History. In the course
of her historical investigation she has become
familiar with American newspapers from their
earliest history, and so far from degenerating
in character, as some claim, she unhesitating-
w declares that they have improved
in moral and literary tone. Mrs. Lambs
opinions on the Sunday papers worth quot
Ing enLlre. one crlLlclAeS IuoIu Luz IAoir
size and the unfortunate subscribers
to the mammoth Sunday sheets published in
New York, Cincinnati and Chicago will readily
acknowledge the justice of her comment.
These papers are too large, she thinks, for
comfort, profit OF convenience. As for the
Sunday paper interfering with church going
or other religious observance, sit has not
she says, "come within my observation that
such is the case. 1 think" she continues,
''that any one who wished to attend church
would do so notwithstanding the attractions
of Sunday paper, and those who do not care
to 90, might be doing something worse than
reading the best of what our newspapers con-
tain" What she says concerning the
called immoral features equally worthy of
attention: "I think, of course there is much
matter in the papers that might be judiciously
omitted; papers cater to the masses as well as
to the refined portion of the community, and
il is the masses who suffer most, for they read
all the trash. AS for being unfit for women
and girls to read, let the women and girls
skip such parts as not suitable or elevat-
ing and there will still be plenty of whole
some we'll written matter left" Mrs. Lamb
by such utterances adds to her reputation as
remarkably level-headed woman.